Elden Ring’s DLC Difficulty Discourse Is Getting Old | Spot On

Difficulty discourse has reared its head once more. This time, players are review bombing Elden Ring after the release of its Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, which some perceive as being too difficult. Tam and Lucy discuss why this keeps happening with FromSoftware games, and why it should probably stop.

By
Tamoor Hussain
,
Lucy James
,
Jean-Luc Seipke
, and
Tom Caswell
on June 28, 2024 at 12:57PM PDT

“Get good” is the well-known phrase thrown at those who struggle in games, particularly those made by FromSoftware. While famed and loved for their difficulty, games like Dark Souls and Bloodborne aren’t just hard for the sake of it, nor are they completely insurmountable challenges. The games give you the tools to succeed, and reward you greatly when you do.

Elden Ring’s DLC, Shadow of the Erdtree, launched last week, and while players were thrilled to return to the Lands Between, many realised that the new region, the Realm of Shadow, was full to the brim with tough enemies. Like, tougher than usual enemies. The DLC introduces a new levelling mechanic through an item called Scadutree Fragments to help balance the DLC so your 189 level character doesn’t immediately wipe the floor with Messmer and his cronies. Crucially, it reminds players that the game is supposed to be challenging, at least to start.

This week on Spot On, Tam and Lucy discuss Erdtree’s review bombing, and that the mantra “get good” is probably very outdated at this point.